GHAC set to emerge as largest air cargo hub for south, central India
Hyderabad: GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC), which saw 35 per cent growth in its domestic cargo volumes in 2021, is further strengthening its air cargo infrastructure to emerge as the largest air cargo hub for south and central India.
Despite the pandemic-induced challenges, Hyderabad Airport has been able to rebuild its flight network and cargo connectivity. The domestic connectivity at Hyderabad Airport expanded to over 65 domestic destinations by end of 2021, compared to 55 prior to the Covid outbreak in early 2020.
The airport which was ranked as the sixth largest cargo hub in India for the year 2019, has moved up to fifth place. The growth has been broad-based, registering a year-on-year gain of 22 per cent over the volumes handled during 2020, considering both domestic and international cargo. Domestic cargo alone grew 35 per cent.
The airport’s cargo volumes in 2021 exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Hyderabad Airport became the best performing PPP metro airport in the country in 2021.
Pradeep Panicker, CEO-GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), said, “Even through a very difficult operating environment, Hyderabad Air Cargo terminal has registered a positive growth momentum which underscores Hyderabad’s and Telangana’s rising importance as a cargo and
aviation hub.”
“With the expected return to normalcy in international air connectivity during 2022, we are very bullish about the future prospects, and we will be making major investments into expansion and upgrade of our cargo terminal facilities to support the region’s growth trajectory,” he added.
Ramping up infrastructure
GHAC is also investing in expansion and upgrade of its temperature-controlled cargo handling facilities. Recently, the company has completed the conversion of its entire export processing zone into a temperature-controlled area, becoming the only cargo terminal in the country to do so.
The company will soon launch a ‘Cool Container Yard’ facility, which is set to be South Asia’s largest on-airport base for temperature-controlled air cargo containers, giving the local pharmaceutical manufacturers, forwarders, and airlines easy access to these container units.
GHAC also plans to launch a larger terminal expansion programme to scale up its infrastructure, technology, and service offerings to meet the expected demand over the next decade, with additions to capacity across both domestic as well as international cargo terminals at Hyderabad Airport.
In 2022, the GMR-owned Cargo Terminal operator plans to venture into International Express cargo handling with the launch of a dedicated International Courier Terminal (ICT).
E-commerce hub
Hyderabad has emerged as a major hub for e-commerce distribution and supply chain activities, with Hyderabad Airport’s own Aerocity being host to the country’s largest e-commerce fulfilment centre that serves a massive catchment area across south-central India.
The growth in the domestic sector was driven by factors such as its strategic geographic location, improved domestic air network, customers’ preference for air cargo over other modes of transport and increasing popularity of e-commerce.
In 2022, Hyderabad Airport is set to continue this trend, given the key role the city is playing and the airport in the all-important e-commerce supply chains in the country.
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